Rural Health Leadership Radio™

Dr. Bill Auxier
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  • SOCIAL SCIENCES
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Rural Health Leadership Radio™

Over the last ten years, over 100 rural hospitals have closed their doors. Roughly one in three rural hospitals have been identified as “at risk.” If there was ever a need for strong leadership, that time is now. RHLR’s mission is to provide a forum to have conversations with rural health leaders to discuss and share ideas about what is working, what is not working, lessons learned, success stories, strategies, things to avoid and anything else you want to talk and hear about. RHLR provides a voice for rural health. The only investment is your time, and our goal is to make sure you receive a huge return on your investment. For more information, visit www.rhlradio.com or e-mail bill@billauxier.com.

  1. FEB 25

    RHLR LIVE: Episode #416

    Guests: Janice Walters, Candice Talkington, and Steven Davis from the Rural Health Redesign Center (RHRC) Learn about how the RHRC is working to help rural communities across the nation THRIVE through healthcare reform and community-based strategies to maintain and improve access to care. Join us live to hear their stories, ask questions, and learn.

    49 min

  2. JAN 16 · VIDEO

    RHLR LIVE: Episode #415

    Rural Health Leadership Radio LIVE! Our first episode back on the air - listen to our conversation with Angie Wilson and Justin Perkins from Texas A&M's Rural Engagement Program (REP). Hear about the work they are doing with rural hospitals across Texas, upcoming events and educational opportunities, and more!

    46 min

  3. 07/30/2024

    A Final Conversation with Bill and Sydney

    This week on Rural Health Leadership Radio, we announce our final episode after eight fantastic years on the air! We have a one last conversation honoring RHLR by sharing reflections, insights, and stories about the podcast’s origins and journey. We share the most listened-to episodes from the past eight years, the growth that RHLR has seen, and celebrate all the amazing guests and support we have received along the way. As always, we talk about the future of rural healthcare, the importance of resilience, and the power of using one’s voice to make a difference. “Use your voice. Don't be afraid to speak up. I don't care what your role is, what your title is, what your self-confidence is. Use your voice and speak up, and you, too can make a difference.” – Dr. Bill Auxier Bill is the President & CEO of the Center for Rural Health Leadership, responsible for NRHA’s Rural Hospital Certification programs for CEOs, CNOs, CFOs, CMOs, HR Directors, Board Trustees, and a program for rural health nurses. Bill is also the founder of Rural Health Leadership Radio, a 501(c)3 non-profit and podcast. Bill assists rural health leaders develop and understand their personal definition of leadership for greater personal and organizational success by utilizing what he has learned about leadership in the real world combined with what he has learned about leadership in the academic world. Bill’s mission is to improve rural America by engaging rural health leaders in conversations for greater learning, greater effectiveness, greater health equity, and greater well-being in rural communities. Sydney Grant is the Director of Programming/Operations for the Center for Rural Health Leadership, responsible for NRHA’s Rural Hospital Certification Programs. She is also the Chief Operations Officer for AUXIER Group, which offers coaching, cultural transformation, and other rural health professional development opportunities.  Sydney received her Bachelor of Science from Florida State University and her Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of South Florida. Sydney started her journey in rural healthcare as an intern for Dr. Auxier’s Rural Health Leadership Radio podcast in 2019 and became co-host in 2022. Sydney’s goal is to help provide the tools, networks, and resources to rural health leaders across the country to help develop strong leadership and bridge the isolation gap of rural healthcare.

    51 min

  4. 07/23/2024

    A Conversation with Michelle Fortune and Abby Radcliffe

    This week on Rural Health Leadership Radio, we are wrapping up our series on NRHA’s 2023 Fellows Program Policy Papers with Fellows Michelle Fortune and Abby Radcliffe. Michelle and Abby explored one of the hottest topics in healthcare, particularly impactful in rural – healthcare workforce shortages. The Fellows share short and long-term strategies in handling workforce shortages, as well as pragmatic and policy-based recommendations. “Everybody in every community can take some action in some way, and it doesn't have to be looking for that gigantic next step. The big is in the little, so do something.” – Michelle Fortune Michelle Fortune, MBA, BSN, FACHE is the President of Surgery and GI Service Line for Mercy Health in St Louis, MO. Prior to joining Mercy, Michelle led the Perioperative and Anesthesia Service Lines for Atrium Health and then served as a CEO for a Critical Access Hospital managed by the system which needed an operational turnaround. Michelle is a Certified Ambulatory PeriAnesthesia Nurse and a National Rural Health Fellow. She is currently participating in the NRHA Rural CEO Certification Program. Michelle has a passion for assuring the availability of high quality healthcare in rural communities. Her work in Rural Healthcare has brought her numerous honors, including being named the 2023 Rural Community Champion of the year by the North Carolina Rural Health Association for her work in advancing Cardiac Care in Rural North Carolina. Abby Radcliffe currently serves as the Senior Director of the Small and Rural Hospital Constituency Section at the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA). She has worked with rural hospitals at IHA for over 17 years and has worked on several grant initiatives. In 2023, she served as a National Rural Health Association fellow and was also awarded the Rural Health Hero Award from the National Center for Rural Health Professions.  Abby graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a major in Speech Communication and a double minor in Business Administration and Public Relations. In 2005 she graduated from Miami University with an MA in Speech Communication. Abby has also worked in state government and development.

    32 min

  5. 07/16/2024

    A Conversation with David Alcindor

    On this week’s episode of Rural Health Leadership Radio, we talk to a physician who came out of retirement to rekindle his passion for rural healthcare at a critical access hospital in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Dr. David Alcindor shares his incredible journey, from his childhood in France to his volunteer work in rural nations across the world, as well as the U.S. as a traveling ED physician. David is Chief of Staff at South Lincoln Hospital District and practices in Emergency Medicine and Med-Surg. “It’s a small system, you could to the CEO, CFO, COO, CNO in the same hallway – or you could visit them in their homes…everything is approachable, everything is scalable.” – Dr. David Alcindor David grew up in Paris, France, and moved to the U.S. to start studies focused on helping disadvantaged persons, first by obtaining a degree in architecture and pursing research in housing for the poor. Construction research in a developing Caribbean nation led David to cross paths with rural medical volunteers. In joining them, he discovered that medicine had far greater impact in addressing not just poor living standards but impacting the health of each individual. After completing medical school, David volunteered in the US Air Force as a medical officer, served on the war front and returned to civilian life to focus exclusively on the health of land laborers (miners, farmers and ranchers) in remote, rural America. After nearly 20 years of being a traveling rural ED physician across the U.S., David and his wife decided to settle in Kemmerer, Wyoming. David first traveled to work in Kemmerer at SLHD emergency department in February 2022. He has since joined the hospital's executive leadership team on a full-time basis with a plan to gradually assume various departmental directorships.

    31 min

  6. 07/09/2024

    A Conversation with Lex Pierre and Jeff Dunbar

    This week’s episode of Rural Health Leadership Radio continues our series of exploring the Policy Papers of NRHA’s 2023 Rural Health Fellows. In this conversation, we talk to Lex Pierre and Jeff Dunbar who researched the intricacies of long-term care in rural healthcare. The pair broke their paper down into financing, staffing, and regulations to uncover the importance, possibilities, and difficulties of supporting long-term care in rural areas. “Bringing awareness is the main thing and it's great that we have all these different avenues and different ways of doing it..” – Lex Pierre Jeff has been in the healthcare field for nearly 30 years in a range of roles from Sales to HR in pharmaceuticals, medical device, dental, fitness, and telemedicine. Currently and for the last 15 years he’s been running a telemedicine company providing physician services to rural and critical access hospitals. He derives great satisfaction providing access through technology to critical care specialists, hospitalists, infectious disease, and cardiology physicians that aren’t available to patients locally. He lives in N.CA wine country with his wife, three daughters, and golden retriever. When not working he’s usually on a bicycle in the mountains or on a country road. As Director of Dentistry for Chambers Health, Lex is responsible for overseeing all operations within the dental department. He has been committed to providing superior dental care to underserved areas since graduating from dental school. His focus remains on addressing rural oral health disparities by increasing and promoting oral health access. Lex earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Alabama State University and his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry. He is currently pursuing fellowships within the Academy of General Dentistry and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Lex travels nationally to attend the best continued educations to stay up to date with all the innovation within the dental field.

    45 min

  7. 07/02/2024

    A Conversation with Nitika Moibi, Andrea Stephenson, and Cynthia Calixte

    Continuing our series on NRHA’s 2023 Fellows and Policy Papers, this week we’re talking to another group of Fellows that explored pediatric vaccination rates in rural America. Nitika Moibi, Andrea Stephenson, and Cynthia Calixte each touch on the current state of pediatric vaccination rates from the unique perspectives of a provider, through the lens of data, workforce and access, as well as community trust. The Fellows share personal experiences, historical data and information, as well as the importance of increasing these rates and tactics to make a difference. “If you don’t have trust in your healthcare provider, then progress can't be made and you're not going to get the good care that you deserve. So please advocate for that and find a healthcare provider that you trust and can have these conversations with.” – Dr. Cynthia Calixte Cynthia Calixte, MD, MPH serves the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland as a Family Physician and the Physician Deputy for Wicomico County and Somerset County Health Departments. She works part-time at Menocal Family Practice in Salisbury, Maryland. Dr. Calixte graduated from SUNY Downstate Medical College in Brooklyn, NY, and completed her residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.  After residency, she obtained her Masters in Public Health from CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy in New York.  As a provider, she addresses the health inequities in her community.  She also understands the importance of preventive care and health education.  She is committed to educating her rural community on healthy lifestyle and chronic disease management. Andrea Stephenson-Royster, MBA, MHA is the Chief Executive Officer of the Lake Okeechobee Rural Health Network (LORHN), one of nine rural health networks established by the Florida state legislature. Mrs. Stephenson-Royster is committed to the residents, providers, and community partners that form the rural communities around Lake Okeechobee. She has developed a solid knowledge base of issues and trends in healthcare and human services during her 20 years in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, and has served on community committees and the board of directors of several nonprofit organizations in the fields of aging, health care, child welfare, community partnerships, and mental health. Nitika Moibi works for the Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care. She oversees statewide collection and analysis of data on Minnesota’s healthcare workforce and directs research on workforce availability, distribution and emerging trends to inform workforce policies and investments. Her background includes health services research and rulemaking. Nitika received her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Human Resource Management from the University of Minnesota Duluth, and her graduate degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

    47 min

  8. 06/25/2024

    A Conversation with Lisa Rantz, Kevin Lambing, and Dr. Carrie Shaver

    On this week’s episode of Rural Health Leadership Radio, we kick off a series focused on NRHA’s 2023 Rural Health Fellows and their policy papers. The first group we chatted with includes Lisa Rantz, Kevin Lambing, and Dr. Carrie Shaver who had the task of examining Medicare Advantage. In our conversation we discuss the intricacies, impacts, as well as personal experiences that the Fellows uncovered in their research. “Get involved and advocate and educate on these issues. It will require all of us working together to create the change in policy and funding mechanisms that we need to ensure that our rural Healthcare is supported and continues to be strong.” – Dr. Carrie Shaver Kevin Lambing serves as the Senior Program Officer for Health at the T.L.L. Temple Foundation. In this role, he helps ensure East Texas children, adults, and families are healthy and have access to quality healthcare. He organizes and convenes stakeholders and develops community partnerships with potential health related grantees in East Texas, consisting of 22 rural counties and one primarily urban county, Harris County and Miller County, Arkansas (Texarkana area). In addition, he monitors federal and state legislation related to health with intentions for future gaps in funding health resources in rural East Texas. Kevin’s 30-plus-year career in the Air Force culminated in his service as the Senior Advisor to the Air Force Surgeon General. In this role he defined, shaped, and executed health care policy in support of 45,000 personnel at 75 medical treatment facilities around the globe, ensuring a cost effective, patient-centered, and prevention-based healthcare continuum for 2.6M beneficiaries. He earned an Associate of Applied Science degree from the Community College of the Air Force, Bachelor of Science degree from Wayland Baptist University, a Master’s of Business Administration degree from Webster University and is a 2023 National Rural Health Association Fellow. He is married to his wife Sheliea and they have 2 children, Noah and Lydia. Lisa Rantz is the Executive Director of Hilo Medical Center Foundation which serves as the Hawaii Island Area Health Education Center, focusing on health career recruitment from K-12 to graduate medical education. She is the President of the Hawaii State Rural Health Association and in 2023 joined the National Rural Health Association Board of Trustees. Lisa is a 2023 NRHA Fellow and has over fifteen years of experience in facilitation and focus groups in education and health care, Lisa has developed impactful programs to address rural health challenges and advocate for community needs. Her accolades include the 2020 Small Business Advocate of the Year, the 2021 Peacemaker Award, the 2022Athena Leadership Award, the 2023 Community Star recognition for Hawaii, and the 2024 NRHA Volunteer of the Year award. Dr. Shaver is an Assistant Professor of Health Management and Leadership at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and a founding member of the New Mexico Rural Health Association. Dr. Shaver has a strong background in the social service sector and has experience administering disease prevention, treatment, and health and wellness programs. She endeavors to bridge gaps between traditional silos in healthcare and foster collaboration among healthcare professionals through Systems Thinking. By embracing this holistic framework, she aims to contribute to the development of sustainable, inclusive, and equitable healthcare systems. Dr. Shaver’s research centers around understanding and addressing the unique healthcare challenges faced by rural and frontier communities along the United States-Mexico border and countries within Latin America and the Caribbean.

    51 min
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About

Over the last ten years, over 100 rural hospitals have closed their doors. Roughly one in three rural hospitals have been identified as “at risk.” If there was ever a need for strong leadership, that time is now. RHLR’s mission is to provide a forum to have conversations with rural health leaders to discuss and share ideas about what is working, what is not working, lessons learned, success stories, strategies, things to avoid and anything else you want to talk and hear about. RHLR provides a voice for rural health. The only investment is your time, and our goal is to make sure you receive a huge return on your investment. For more information, visit www.rhlradio.com or e-mail bill@billauxier.com.

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